Promise
by Shinji Takamine
Summary: Conan reflects back on all of the time he had spent in his new form, and begins to think it's about time he had told Ran what had happened. Sorry I'm so bad at descriptions, I hope to get the hang of this soon...


"Promise" 

This is the first story I've written and finished in a looooong time. This was originally a quick fic idea that I had come up with and wrote down in a composition notebook between working. I'm sorry if it really sux and may even be a little inaccurate. I was an avid viewer of the show, and for this I looked up their original names…though for some reason I have trouble with names. .. So please forgive me. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters…or the main story, just this junk.

He sat alone in his darkened bedroom, the silence echoing in his mind as a steady rain fell just outside the window. A mirror adjacent to himself ever reminded him of his curse, as the light from the full moon shone brightly down upon him. Holding his petite, 7-year-old hand before his eyes he studied it with a great intensity, and quickly forming a fist he brought it down in one swift motion, punching the floor beneath him. He felt so stupid that he had allowed something like this happen to him. He wanted so much to blame everyone else, though in the end he felt he had no one to blame but himself.

With deep blue eyes glaring out he clenched his teeth just so. He had longed for the sweet, calming, Serena of the moment to set in, and though he knew it was only a matter of time before this period of peace would be interrupted, he decided to make the best of his time.

Shinichi Kudo hadn't been living like this for too long, though it had been long enough. With everything now suddenly stripped from him; his life, his girlfriend and even his status, he found he had to start it all from scratch once again.

Biting down on his lower lip he lost track of the time, and for a few brief moments he lied down onto his side. The firmness of the carpeted floor beneath him both comforted and served as a harsh reminder of how low he had sunk. The more he thought however, the more he had to wonder if this even bothered Ran. The fact that he had 'moved away' so abruptly, and with such little warning. He wondered if it had bothered anyone. Nevertheless, he longed so much to tell her about his condition and yet he didn't want to burden her with his problems. It would merely give her something to worry about, not to mention he wasn't sure how she would take the news.

Finding a few tears forming in his eyes, he removed his large framed glasses as he wiped them away. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life, and to some capacity, he wanted to end it all. In light of that though, he had made a promise to himself. He promised that he would return everything to the way it was before. He wanted to be sure that justice would be served to the organization that had done this to him and that plan of doing so never left the back of his mind, it merely seemed as more and more time had passed the more this goal seemed further out of reach.

Shutting his eyes for a few moments he suddenly found himself drifting off to sleep, although just as he did he heard a low knock on his bedroom door.

"Conan? Are you in there?" Ran asked as she slowly opened the door, peeking into the pitch black room. "I'm sorry…were you sleeping?" She asked, her voice a bit softer now.

Blinking his eyes open he rubbed them softly, shaking his head to the sides. "No, not really…"

Gradually entering the room she hesitantly approached the young boy, her expression quite concerned as she knelt down beside him. Bringing up her hands she placed one against Conan's forehead and the other to her own. "You feel warm…you should probably stay home from school tomorrow…" She said sighing thoughtfully. "You need your rest…" Shutting her eyes softly she brought her right hand to rest upon her heart, as a sinking feeling washed over her being. "I'm so sorry…I should have paid better attention to you," she whispered, a few tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. It was growing more and more apparent that she was feeling very guilty about something, though what it was remained a mystery.

"No…Ran, it's not you're fault…" He began, when out of the blue he began to notice his breath was coming a little more harshly now. It was then that he began to understand what Ran meant and coughing a few times he was forced to stop in mid thought.

"Shhh…it's alright…" Ran said as she ran a hand through his dark hair, and scooping him up into her arms she placed him onto the bed and covered him just so. She wanted to help him the best she could, and looking to his face she soothingly stroked her finger along the curves of his delicate features. He was so cute. And yet somehow he seemed so familiar to her.

Looking up to her through half lidded eyes he let out a soft yawn as he stretched, allowing for the warmth of the covers to engulf him, as sleep settled in.

Ran's father was out of town on business, so for now it was just the two of them, leaving her completely in charge while he was away. So opting to stay home the next day she thought it might be best to let him sleep for now.

Leaving the room she quietly shut the door behind herself. Glancing back she couldn't help but be brought back to the time that she had spent with Shinichi. She wanted to know why it had been so long since she had heard from him last, perhaps the rumors that she had been hearing were true. Lately there had been word around that Shinichi Kudo had been murdered in one of his latest cases. And as much as she wanted to keep up the hope that he was still alive, a bit of doubt lingered; with these thoughts rolling over and over in her head as she made her way through the house and into the main room. Rainy days usually did have this effect on her. Taking a seat on the chair by the window she sat for a few silent moments as her mind seemed to race. Watching the rain, she couldn't forget. It was the main reason why she had hated the rainy season so. Her father was good to her, he gave her just about everything that she could ever want. And though he was a little flaky at times, she knew he meant well.

It was still raining out, so it was a rather cloudy night, though at times the clouds would roll by just long enough to expose the full moon, and the bits of stars that surrounded. There was a freshness to the air, the same that had been left after just about every rainfall. All with the hint of the new day that was to come. Resting her chin against her arms she continued to watch, almost entranced by each droplet of rain as it splashed aggressively against the window pain, and if it weren't for the phone ringing, she might have spent another hour there; though heading over towards the sound she answered.

It seemed that it was her father, checking in on her. She had informed him of the current status and how everything was going fine. She didn't want to explain the details, so she left Conan out for the time. She knew that her father didn't entirely hate the young boy, though she knew that because of the circumstances for him being there, that there was always some tension. She couldn't help but notice a bit of what had almost come across as pride, as Conan would most likely be the closest he'll ever have to having a son of his own; though most of the time it was overshadowed by his sheer, and quite obvious, jealousy of the boy's talent. And so, returning to her seat on the couch, she set a shoebox onto the table before herself; one that she had pulled out of a spare closet earlier. Opening it, she rustled around through the papers and envelopes. They were all letters from Shinichi. It was days like this when she would feel the most nostalgic of all. When she would once again pull out relics of her past and rustle through them, perhaps one day he would return. She didn't hate him for what he had done. This was obviously very important. But what could it be? Coming across a picture of the two of them together she smiled, as she slipped it into her pocket, then sighing lightly she returned the items to the box and headed off for bed. She was growing quite tired now.

The morning had arrived, and the rain had finally quit for the time. The birds sang just outside the windows as in the kitchen Ran was making up a batch of pancakes. She really had hoped that Conan was going to be all right, though she hadn't checked on him quite yet.

She wasn't sure just what it was that made her so concerned about him. Perhaps it was that he was so young, though that still didn't explain why she had such a deep attachment to him. Right from the very beginning. Though right now she was feeling somehow, like she would do anything for him. She thought about the night before and she had wondered what it might have been that brought on this condition all of a sudden. And though colds could be like that sometimes, she never saw him quite like this before. Deep in thought she decided that maybe she should go check on him, and finishing up the last of the pancakes, she meandered off towards his room letting herself inside.

As she made her way to his side she cautiously placed the back of her hand to his cheek. His features were a deep shade of red as he seemed to be muttering in his sleep now. She couldn't believe just how cute he really was, and blinking a few times she continued to loom over him for a few moments longer, and though she was hopeful she had to remember, that it had only begun last night.

Slowly opening his eyes he sat up. "Hnn..? Ran? What are you doing in here?" He asked, as he cleared his throat, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Pushing him back lightly she felt his forehead once again, as she caught eyes with him. "I kept you home from school today…I decided to stay home to take care of you as well…I'm sure my dad shouldn't be too angry with me." She said as she took out the thermometer from her apron. "Now say 'ah'." She continued as she quickly shook it down, placing it under the young boys tongue. Running her hand through his hair, she took a seat on the edge of the bed. "I just want you to know…that I want you to be okay, you hear me?" She stated a smile on her lips as she held back a few tears. "I don't want anything happening to you." Glancing off she ran her sleeved arm along her face as she suddenly fell completely silent.

Conan wasn't sure what to make of this, he was actually quite stunned. And though he couldn't speak, he wouldn't have known what to say even if he could. He had to admit it was rather strange to see Ran so concerned for him. He wasn't sure how he could ever repay her.

Removing the thermometer she read it to herself, and shaking her head she tucked in the sides of the blankets. "I made you some pancakes. I hope you like those." She said with a small smile.

"Don't worry. I do." He said, trying to mimic her 'happiness'. For some reason Ran was acting off, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. It was beginning to bother him, he really hoped that it wasn't something that he might have done, whatever it might have been. He just wanted to help out.

The rest of the day, followed pretty much the same path. Had it not been for the fact that he was very wiped out, he might have protested about getting so much attention. He didn't mind the attention all that much, though in truth, he didn't really like the idea that he was being treated so much like the child he appeared to be, but what else could be expected? He would mention something to her about it whether she wanted to hear it or not.

Leaving his room for a minute he ran into Ran as she was coming out of her room. She was now clad in a pair of comfortable jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt. Smiling some to Conan she bent down in front of him, making them eye to eye. "I really hope you don't mind, but since it's Friday my dad said I could have someone overnight…" She said as she poked him playfully on the nose causing him to temporarily go cross-eyed. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, that's alright." He said as he tugged on the bottom of his pajama shirt, rocking back and forth on the soles of his feet. "I'll be okay." He said, just as a coughing fit seemed to take over.

Patting his back gently she took on the look of concern again. For some reason that look pierced through him. It made him feel so guilty, he couldn't believe that he seemed to be causing her so much pain. "I could tell Serena that we have to call it off it you want me to." She said as she continued to pat at his back.

"No…I want you to enjoy yourself, it isn't often you can have anyone over." He said, between coughs. "You won't even know I'm here." He then continued, sounding almost a little too mature for his age for a moment.

Hugging tightly onto him she smiled brightly. "Oh, thank you! You're the best!" She celebrated. "But hey, what fun would it be if I weren't to invite you? You live here to you know." She said as she let him go, winking. "I'll order a pizza, dad left some 'emergency money' for us."

Smiling some, he wasn't sure what to make of all of this. Though this could make for an interesting night after all. He's never been to a girl's sleep over before. For that matter, he's never been to a sleepover at all.

Knowing that they would soon be receiving company he decided to ready himself. Staying in his pajamas however he wondered to himself if this was a good idea. What harm could it cause really? Heading off towards the living room, he took a seat on the couch as he awaited Serena's arrival. For some reason or another he had a feeling, this was going to be an important evening. Things were finally picking up for once.

Some time had passed, and Serena had gotten out of school, and soon after she had arrived. Trying to push away the sickness, Conan muttered under his breath. He was still quite ill, though he seemed to be in good spirits. Sitting on the couch, the two girls came over and sat one on each side of him, and as they did he blushed deeply, finding himself being wrapped up cozily in a blanket by Ran. Holding him close by herself she chuckled happily, this causing him to blush all the more.

"How have things been going…I guess little Conan here's caught himself a cold?" Serena said reaching out a hand to run through his hair. He wasn't sure if he should be embarrassed or insulted, so he opted to go with the former. Noticing the deep blush she blinked a few times as she poked playfully at his cheek.

"Yeah. We've been fine…Right Conan? Are you guys hungry? We can order pizza if you'd like." She said as she stood up, readying to order for delivery.

"Sure, that sounds great." She answered with a smile.

A few minutes later, she had made the order, and prepped the kitchen for it's arrival. She didn't really have all that much planned for the night, she just wanted to hang out with a friend, and talk, maybe even catch up on a few things between the two of them. They had been very good friends for a very long time now. They didn't like to keep any secrets from each other, and told each other everything. It was very rare to see them separated actually. "I was just wondering, did I miss anything in school today?" She asked curiously, she really didn't have much to worry about when it came to school though she always liked to keep up.

"No, nothing special. We just watched a really boring video in biology…" She said trailing off. She had just gotten out of school, and quite honestly she wasn't interested in talking about it, though it seemed to be the topic of discussion at the moment, so switching it up some she sat up straight. "I was just wondering…have you heard from 'him' yet?" She asked bluntly.

Brushing her hair over her shoulder she wasn't exactly prepared for a question like that, though perhaps, she should have seen it coming. "Well…to tell you honestly, no. I haven't heard from 'him' as of late, and to tell you honestly, that has me more worried now than anything."

Listening intently to the conversation, he sat up straight, as he inched his way to the edge of the couch, looking back and forth between the girls.

Chuckling softly, the two girls noticed Conan's sudden interest. "What are you jealous or something Conan? Hey, I think you have yourself a boyfriend right here Ran." Serena said as she pointed down to the ever embarrassed young boy, a smile spreading across her features.

"Awe…come on now, you're making him blush." Ran said, playing along.

Remaining ever silent, he froze not knowing what to say to all of this. And for what seemed to be an eternity that had passed, the awkward silence was suddenly broken by the ringing of the doorbell, the pizza had finally arrived. He had to wonder as he watched them answer the door. Did they really have any clue or were they just playing little games? It really did bother him for some reason or another, though the more thought he seemed to put into it, the dizzier he seemed to become. So taking hold of the situation he jumped up from his seat on the couch, trying to keep his balance.

"Hurry up, or it'll get cold." Ran said as she pulled out a seat for him.

"I'm not…I'm not really hungry…" He said as he stood by the table for a moment.

"Oh…I'm sorry…can I do anything for you?" She asked as she slowly went to stand up. "Get you some tea? Something like that?"

"No no, I'll be just fine, I think I'll go lie down for now. Besides, I want to give you some time to visit with your friend." He said, bowing his head slightly, his deep blue eyes looking emptily and longingly at the floor, a well-hidden truth dwelling beyond the little white lies.

"Well, that's very considerate of you Conan, but really. You're not bothering us, right Serena?" Ran asked, almost as though she was pleading with the young boy to spend some time with them. Almost as though she had really looked forward to this, and had enjoyed the time they had so far. "Please stay? At least a little longer?"

"Yeah, that's right, Conan. I brought a movie I just know you'll love." She said with a wink. "It's a scary movie, you like those don't you?"

"Yeah…" He said, than for a brief moment, he had forgotten what was going on, his mind wandering off topic he lie his head down on the table before him as the two girls finished up their dinner.

"Are you alright?" Ran asked as she began to clear the table.

"I think I'll be fine…" He muttered in response.

"You really don't look so good…" Serena pointed out as she helped clean up. She was genuinely concerned, and that was one of her better traits. She was a very good friend to Ran. No one could have asked for any better.

Glancing over into the girls direction, he smiled some, "I'll be okay…thank you for your concern…" He said, very politely.

"If you say so…"

Later that evening:

They had all settled in to watch the movie, the darkened room was the perfect setting for the horror film that was to begin. In the other room the popcorn was just about finished the DVD player had started up, the menu looping in it's usual fashion. Curling up in his blanket, Conan made himself comfortable on the nearby recliner as the two girls took the couch.

"Conan…" Ran began as she patted the vacant spot on the sofa between the two of them. "Why don't you come over here, there's plenty of room for you. Besides aren't you lonely over there?" She thought it would have been nice to have him around, he was different than most of the young kids she knew. If she were to know more kids like him she might not mind babysitting that much. In fact with him, it had almost scared her, but for some reason she felt she might have found an intellectual equal in a 7-year-old.

"Alright," he answered to this, and as he approached he took note as the popcorn was moved from the couch to the table. And though he had agreed to sit with them, it was growing quite apparent that he was growing more and more hesitant with each step he took as something caught his eye just outside the window. A quick shadow seemed to have passed, though he couldn't tell if someone was out there or if it were just his imagination. What he did know however, was that he would keep an eye out for whatever it was. The sudden hesitancy in his movements however didn't go unnoticed. And blinking a few times Ran looked to him rather confused, "are you alright, is something up?" She asked as she watched him closely.

Catching himself he nodded as he jumped up onto the couch between the two girls, and with a big phony grin on his face he wanted to cover everything, and this usually seemed to work. "Oh, it's nothing, it's just fine…why don't we start the movie now? I wanna see the monsters!" He said, doing his best impression of a little kid, perhaps a little too well…and that began to make him quite nervous. He never wanted to this to happen, he wanted this all to pass quickly, but for some reason he felt as though his new life had begun to take over. To take control and grip onto him at the very core. The acting and the false façade that he had usually put up into place seemed to become him somehow. Perhaps it was as though his life had begun anew. It might not have been the end of the world but he didn't want to lose his memory of what he had. If anything he still felt the loss of it all when he thought back about it. And the more he thought about it, the more it seemed to bother him. So shaking off all of those thoughts for now, he decided to forget about it for the time being.

"You won't be too scared will you? This won't give you nightmares or anything will it?" Ran asked half jokingly as she let out a soft chuckle.

"I'll be fine!" He semi-retorted, keeping up with the mood as the opening credits rolled onscreen.

Pulling him over Ran placed his head in her lap as she gently stroked his head with her hand, her other reaching down for some popcorn.

Being pulled down, this sudden feeling of embarrassment rushed through him as his face had turned a deep shade of red. He had never been so thankful for the darkness in his entire life. He couldn't help but wonder what she would do were she to know what was truly going on just now.

"This is my older brother's DVD…" Serena began. "I was so scared the first time I saw it, I just had to borrow it." And she was right, the movie started off kind of slow but near the middle it picked up big time. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, even he was getting a bit scared himself.

Hugging Conan closely, Ran watched intently as her whole body seemed to tense. She was quite scared and not afraid to let it be made known, though this was a different kind of fear, one in which one can enjoy to a strange and certain degree.

Suddenly distracted with something outside again, Conan knew now that this wasn't just his imagination, and watching the window closely he had to wonder maybe they had the wrong idea. Jumping up for a moment he had freed himself from the young woman's arms, and grasping onto the remote he paused the movie for a moment. "Guys, did you hear something…anything just then?"

"No, I can't say that I did…" Ran answered shifting in her seat. "But…than again…"

He didn't like this. He didn't want to worry them for nothing, though it seemed the utmost of caution needed to be taken. "Ran, can you do me a favor? Could you make a call to the police?" He asked, looking up to her through his large framed glasses, keeping it as cute as possible.

"You…you know that's really not a bad idea…" Serena added from her side of the couch. "What if he's right…? Better safe than sorry…"

"And just when dad finally trusts me alone with his house…" Ran sighed, disheartened. Though she knew it was true. And just as she began towards the phone, the electricity flickered out. Startled some she jumped a bit. "Now that's suspicious…" Finding her way through the house she gripped tightly onto the cordless phone and dialed. As she made the call Conan stayed right where he was, deep in thought as he suddenly heard Ran's voice call out. "The phone just went dead, and in the middle of my call too."

"Did you at least get them the address?" Conan asked, concern in his voice. For some reason the stress of the current situation was really getting to him more than usual…perhaps it was the cold, but standing up he went to make his way over towards the other, though he only made it half way when he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and standing there for a moment, he suddenly passed out falling to the floor unconscious.

Ran had been off gathering candles as she had returned in just enough time to hear the young boy's body hit the floor. "Conan?" She asked, a bit scared now as she picked up the now unconscious boy and placed him onto the couch. "Serena, you light the candles while I go get some medicine for Conan, it seems his fever's gone up…" She stated, concern overflowing in her every word.

Serena agreed as she watched the other leave again, disappearing into the darkness. She had noticed this before, but now it was becoming quite apparent that Ran really did seem to care a lot for his young boy, there was a definite connection between the two, she could tell from the very first time she had seen them together, and yet tonight served as even more proof of that. For some reason though it seemed to go deeper than a sibling sort of bond, it wasn't a sick love but it was a sweet, mutual and deep understanding the two seemed to share. She wanted so much to point it out… though she had to figure out how.

Serena had lit the candles and placed them in various spots. It lit the room well enough, and served its purpose. Ran had reentered the room with some supplies in hand. Kneeling down beside the young boy she placed a cool, damp washcloth on his forehead. "So…I guess all we can do is wait…" She said to Serena.

"Yes, it looks that way." Serena said with a sigh. "You…really miss him…don't you?" She asked, concern in her voice as she spoke. "You know, it's alright if you do, it's only natural."

Glancing down at her hand she then looked to Conan. He seemed to be having difficulty breathing. "To tell you the truth…I really do…" She said, as she nearly began to cry out of the blue. "Where is he…? Why haven't I heard from him? I mean…for all I know he was killed…" She asked, partially to her friend, and partially to no one in particular.

"I'm sure he's out there somewhere…thinking about you. Besides, we're not even sure if the rumors are true."

"But…that doesn't explain why he hasn't contacted me yet…and it doesn't help me wonder…was it more than a silly crush? You don't think I'm wasting my time thinking about 'what could have been' do you?" She asked as she turned to look to the other.

Shaking her head she turned to look to her friend, a reassuring look emanating from deep within. "No I don't think you're 'wasting your time' at all. A guy like this will probably realize just how lucky he is to have such a faithful girlfriend like you and he'll return, I know it." She finished with a smile.

"Thank you…but let me ask you something."

"Yes?"

"How did you get that conclusion?" She asked raising an eyebrow. "It was a little odd how all of this seemed to be brought up out of nowhere."

"Just call it intuition."

It wasn't too long before the police had arrived at the house. They had made their rounds and successfully found the person sneaking around, apparently he had a large job planned involving the block, and though he hadn't planned on hitting their house, it was still lucky Conan had caught it. At first the police wanted to chalk it up as a prank, though one had to admit Conan did have quite the credibility by this point when it came to pointing out the unusual and suspicious. The two girls had answered all of the policemen's questions. They were assured that nothing big would be made of this. Conan was still asleep at the moment, so he hadn't been put up for questioning. Serena was happy for that, mostly because she had been itching to talk with him herself.

After all of the hype had finally passed, they had settled down once again. The night was eerily calm by this point. Not a single sound to be heard anywhere. Quite unsettling with it being a Friday night and although it was just another night she had figured more would be going on it of been a holiday weekend.

She had wanted to thank him so very much, though she wasn't sure just how she could go about doing so. The young girl wasn't sure just how she could go about it. Not to mention she didn't want to wear out her welcome. For some reason she had found herself waking up unusually early. So having had noticed that her two friends were still sound asleep for the time, she opted to just leave them be; it would have been rude to bother them, and lying on her back she looked up at the ceiling as many thoughts rushed through her head.

She couldn't help but wonder about Ran. They had been good friends since she could remember. Inseparable. And though she could tell that as much as they were together, she needed more than just a friend. There was somehow a void there that even a best friend was beginning to no longer fill. She longed so much to be able to help. And the more she thought about it, the more she believed there was a chance she could.

Sitting up slowly she glanced about the room. The sun shone brightly through the blinds and onto the floor, as the birds sang happily just outside. She had spent the night sleeping on a futon, Ran was on the recliner and Conan was still on the couch, right where he had been placed the night before.

Running a hand through her short, brown hair she had took note as Conan seemed to stir, waking up slowly as he rubbed his tired eyes. Suddenly being struck with a thought he bolted up straight in his seat.

"Oh Conan. You're awake." Serena said, as she smiled to him. "Did you sleep well?"

Not really sure of what to do, he tilted his head to the side. He was obviously at a loss, he wasn't sure what had happened the night before. "Y-yes…can I ask you something though?" He began, scratching the back of his head. "What day is it?"

"It's Saturday, you passed out last night so we let you sleep." Serena said as she continued to smile. "I wanted to thank you though. For last night. The police found someone sneaking around, he had a big job planned for the block, or so it seems."

Blushing slightly he glanced off to the side. He was embarrassed, he really didn't do all that much. Though he was also embarrassed that he had allowed himself to become as sick as he had. Though, he had been working very hard lately. Especially with keeping up on his grades and solving so many crimes. It was little wonder that he hadn't of landed himself in the hospital yet. How a 7-year-old could deal with seeing so many murders was far beyond her. "Oh, I see…" He said, glancing down to the floor, obviously disheartened.

"Is there something bothering you?" Serena asked confusion in her voice.

"Well, to tell you honestly, I'm not sure…" He said, trying to be as vague as possible. He hadn't really wanted to tell that much to the girl. There really wasn't much he had to say to her.

"Conan…you don't…have to hide you know…" She said hesitantly, clasping her hands before herself. She didn't want to come across as rude, or seem too forward, but she did want to make her point known.

Blinking a few times he wasn't sure what to say to this, and he really wasn't sure what she was talking about to begin with. Though it gave him a sinking feeling all the same. "I'm sorry…I don't know what you mean…do you think you could elaborate on that?" He stated, semi-nervously.

Never looking up she took in a deep breath, and letting it out slowly she spoke. "Or should I say, Shinichi Kudo?" She knew just how strange that must have sounded, though she had to try.

Panicking slightly he tried to remain calm, though it was painfully obvious that he was losing his cool. "H-How did you know?" He asked stunned.

"To tell you honestly, I had no idea…I merely needed to confirm." She said, finally looking up to him now.

He wasn't sure just where to go from there, though he had figured that if he were to continue he would have to think things through. There had been a long pause as an awkward silence settled in. The morning dragged on, and part of him wanted Ran to wake up, perhaps Serena would drop the subject, and so would end the accusations; though he knew they were the truth he didn't want it out, not like this. At the same time, this would have been a good way to get all of this off of his chest, he's been wanting to do so for so long now. So he had to figure, that in the end this couldn't be all bad. Breaking the silence he finally spoke, "brilliant deduction, though I'd like to know how you came to your conclusion." He stated, sounding quite intelligent.

Glancing up towards the ceiling she had to think about this for a moment. "I don't think I should tell you that much…that would be a secret; a good detective never reveals ones secrets, you should know that. Though there were a few tip offs. Such as 'Shinichi's' leaving and 'Conan's' appearance seemed suspiciously close…" She started holding her index finger up, pressing it to her cheek. "Also, for being Ran's distant and visiting 'cousin' you seemed to know much about her even though you just met up with her. And lastly you look so much alike. Call it 'a woman's intuition.'" She finished with a smile.

"Very good." He said, still confused, "though what do you plan on doing with that information?" He asked, unsure of just how he might take the answer.

"Well…I think there's someone that deserves a good explanation. She has been treated pretty unfairly through all of this. She trusted you, and even though she hides it, not knowing where Shinichi is was eating her up inside. Every day she doesn't hear from him she dies a little within. You don't want to come across as a typical man do you? Can't you just give her a sign, write her a letter, call her on the phone? Is that really so much to ask? We've been friends forever and there's nothing that we wouldn't do for each other. So I'm asking on behalf of Ran, let her know something, if not your secret at least let her know that you're alive."

And after all had been said and done, he couldn't help but feel guilty. His heart sunk as he thought about Serena's words. They had pierced him deeply. Cutting him to his very soul. How he had allowed so much time to go by. Here he was worrying when he wasn't doing anything to stop it. If Ran had found someone else, he had probably deserved it. In a way, it was like he had abandoned her, and as unintentional as it was he felt very low by this point. "Serena…can you help me?" He asked, quite humbled now. "Help me so I don't lose Ran…it's been a long time fear of mine now…"

"I can, and I certainly will try my best." She said with a smile as she rubbed a few tears away. "I'm so glad you understand."

Conan couldn't help but feel a sudden bolt of guilt for all of the times he had used Serena for his explanations, he had to wonder if maybe she was aware of that to some degree.

"Well, to start off. What should I do first?" He asked inching himself to the edge of the couch, as he listened intently to the young girls next words.

"I would say, the best bet for you is to maybe…call her on the phone…it may be too much of a shock if you did it right in person."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of." He sighed, looking to the floor again.

"Don't worry. Why don't you use my cell phone, that way you won't have to leave the house?" She asked pulling out the phone in question. "I don't mind you using it." She said with a wink and as she handed it to him he promptly hid it inside his vest pocket.

"Alright…as long as you're sure about this." He spoke hesitantly, as just than Ran began to stir.

"What's up guy's? Did I miss anything?" She asked as she sat up slowly, looking between the two.

"Oh no, Conan and myself were just talking, we didn't wake you did we?" She asked, genuinely concerned.

"No, you're fine," Ran answered as she stretched some. "Anyone up for some breakfast?" She asked as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Sure, that sounds great." And as she headed out of the room Conan and Serena looked to each other.

It hadn't been until later in that evening really that they had considered making the call. Serena wanted to be sure that she would definitely be there, not only because this was her phone, but also because she had been waiting for this for so long now.

The sun now shone brightly overhead as noon had come about. The day was in full swing and though they could have gone anywhere or done anything they had opted to stay home. The 'downtime' was great, though Ran couldn't help but wonder how her dad's business trip had been turning out. More than likely it had been an elaborate excuse to get to the casino's or something.

Conan had opted to stay in his room, he needed the time to prepare himself for the call. The more he thought about doing it the more nervous he had become. This was mostly because it had been so long since they had spoken last.

In the main room, Serena and Ran chatted about random things, when out of the blue the phone rang.

"Oh, that's probably my dad checking in with us…he should be arriving home soon…" Ran said with a sigh, looking over to her friend. Though upon answering the phone she found she was wrong as she had recognized the voice on the other end right off. "Shinichi! Oh my gosh…it's been forever!" She said, excitement in her voice.

"I'm so sorry…" He began, holding his bowtie just over his throat, altering his tone. For the moment, Conan was seen but Shinichi was heard. "I would have called you sooner…but I've been very busy with a very important case…I need this, and if you try and understand I'll try to explain it all to you…" He said as he held the phone close, his heart pounding in his ears.

"Of…of course I'll try…" She said awaiting an explanation. "Though I want you to know, I never resented you…" Glancing over into the other girl's direction she covered the receiver for a moment. "It's Shinichi…" She whispered, a bright smile on her face.

"Well, it isn't easy to say this, but I never really left you…" He said, as his voice seemed to trail off.

"What…do you mean by that?" She asked, blinking a few times obviously confused.

He knew that this would be quite interesting, so he had to just get to the point. "I am Conan…we're the same." After he had said that, he wished so much that he could take it all back somehow.

"You mean that…but why did you wait so long? This has to be wrong…" She said, her eyes widening some as she stared blankly ahead for a moment. "I won't accept that for an answer, I need proof." She hated jumping to conclusions, she hated to accuse him of lying, but she still had to be careful. He had never lied to her though, as far as she knew. A lone tear running down her cheek she shook her head to the sides. She wanted to believe and yet this was a bit much. Conan Edigawa, her 'cousin' was Shinichi Kudo. How was it even possible?

It hadn't of felt right. Somehow he wished he would have thought all of this through some more. "I'm not sure…" He said, lowering his head ashamed with himself.

"Is that you're best answer? Is that all you can come up with?" Gripping tightly onto the cordless phone she bit down on her lower lip. She had felt like such a hypocrite. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have reacted like that. Is there some way we can discuss this further?" She asked lifting her head up hopeful. "I really want to help, I want to know more."

Becoming quite nervous he agreed, however hanging up the phone with her he made his way into the room with the two girls. Kneeling down by Conan, Ran wasn't exactly sure how to respond. Placing a hand on his cheek she brought her hands up to rest gently upon his glasses and sliding them off she took a moment to look deeply into his deep blue eyes. "It really is…you…" She said, she had really felt quite stupid that she hadn't of seen this before. Though how was she to know? She had never seen anything like this before. "But one thing I'd like to know is…how did this happen?"

"It's really hard to explain…It really is…" He began. "But someone poisoned me…they made me young. Though I'm still unclear as to why and how…I've been trying to find out all of the answers."

Hugging tightly onto him tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I've missed you so much. But I'm happy now."

Being held closely by Ran he hugged her back.

"I promise Shinichi, I promise I'll help you in any way possible…" She said, and just as she did Shinichi felt his stomach sink. Exactly what he didn't want, though perhaps he would give her a chance.

End

If you actually made it here through reading, I'm surprised sweatdrop. I really hope it wasn't that bad…and I guess if you'd like you could leave a review. That would be greatly appreciated.


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